Police in Texas have arrested a second person in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of a flight attendant earlier this year.
Joni Thomas, 62, is facing a charge of tampering with evidence, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Dennis William Day, 66, was charged with the murder of Rana Nofal Soluri in June, following a report from a coworker who noted her absence, as CrimeOnline reported. The coworker mentioned that their last communication was in March, when Soluri took leave from work for a minor surgery.
Soluri, 47, had been residing with Day and an additional person for nearly a year while working for Envoy Air, a division of American Airlines. Initially, Day denied any involvement in her disappearance, but after police discovered surveillance footage showing him dragging what seemed to be a body into the backyard, he confessed to strangling her and disposing of her body off a bridge in Bowie.
According to Thomas’s arrest warrant, her initial statement to police was that she did not allow Day to use her truck, but later, she altered her account, admitting not only that she permitted him to use the truck but that she accompanied him, KXAS reported. Thomas denied knowing that Day was transporting Soluri’s body, stating that she believed he was relieving himself when he stopped on a bridge. She claimed to have fallen asleep in the passenger seat and awoke later back at Day’s residence.
However, the warrant indicates that police found evidence suggesting Thomas actually assisted Day in disposing of Soluri’s body. Cell phone records reveal that Thomas drove to Day’s home after the alleged murder, then both individuals left their phones at Day’s house before heading to Bowie.
“This is a clear effort by both [Day] and [Thomas] to deceive law enforcement and make it appear like they never left [Day’s] house in Fort Worth, Texas, when they were dumping [Soluri’s] body in Bowie, TX,” police stated in the warrant.
And, apparently, Day left an accidental voicemail on Thomas’s phone.
The warrant describes a male and female voice as they seem to be moving something heavy. The male voice is heard saying phrases such as, “Hey, help me,” “Make sure the lid’s on,” and “I’m sorry I got you messed up in this.”
Day remains behind bars in the Tarrant County Jail on a $200,000 bond. Thomas is no longer on jail records and presumably posted bond.
Soluri’s body has not been found.
